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King says he needs more time to make Senate run decision

Mike Malloy

Special to the BN-R

It had all the trappings of a campaign appearance, but after speaking to a crowd of about 30 in Ames this week, U.S. Rep. Steve King (R-Kiron) told the media he’s still making up his mind on a Senate run.

For weeks King has been the clear Republican front-runner to succeed Sen. Tom Harkin, a Democrat who is retiring in 2014, but the will-he-or-won’t he speculation has only intensified after other prominent Republicans like Gov. Terry Branstad, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and Rep. Tom Latham all have taken a pass.

U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley is the only Democrat to announce a candidacy, and in the first quarter of 2013 raised more than $1 million — more than 10 times what King raised in the same time.

“I need a little time to have some conversations around the state,” King said during his stop. “I’ve done a good number of those and I just need a little more time. I just have not come to that decision.”

King said serving in the Senate would have its advantages, such as being able to put a hold on a bill or a nominee and being able to approve treaties. It also would end what King called Iowa’s near 30-year stalemate between the liberal Harkin and conservative Sen. Chuck Grassley.

“You don’t send, as a state, a liberal and conservative to cancel each other’s votes,” King said. “That’s about like a husband and wife going to the polls together and one of them pulls a lever for the Democrats, the other one pulls the lever for the Republicans, and they walk out of there and give each other a hug and say ‘we’ve done something for America.’ No, they just voted a stalemate.”